Refugee Students With Disabilities in the K–12 Educational System in British Columbia: An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis

• In Event: Pursuing Racial Justice Through Intersectional Inclusive Education

Abstract

Purpose
The study critically examines the K-12 educational policies in the province of British Columbia in Canada to determine the extent to which the provisions cater to the needs of students who live at the intersection of refugee protection and disability status. Thus, we consider not only (a) how educational policies in British Columbia position refugee students with dis/abilities (RSWDs) within the K-12 educational system but also (b) the degree to which educational policies account for the intersectional experiences and needs of RSWDs.

Theoretical Framework
Because of the duality of the experiences (refugee and dis/ability) involved, an intersectional framing of the inquiry is utilized. The intersectionality framework provides a more comprehensive and complex perspective on identity – one which takes into account how individuals and groups are invariably multiply positioned through differences in gender, class, sexual orientation, dis/ability, race/ethnicity, language, national belonging, and more (Crenshaw, 2017). Intersectionality as an analytical tool offers a way to meaningfully assess the complexities in the experiences of humans in their interactions with structures of power (Collins & Bilge, 2016).

Methods
The social justice, equity-oriented framing of inclusive education (Waitoller & Kozleski, 2013) and critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2013) were used to analyze the K-12 provincial policies deemed as relating to refugee and special education. Specifically, three dimensions of equity-based inclusive education – representation, recognition, and redistribution (Fraser, 2009) – were the intersectional lenses through which the educational policies were examined.

Results
The analysis shows that there is no single policy provision operating at the intersection of both experiences. No policies or directives account for the experiences of refugees in setting the agenda of special education. However, the web of policies exists within the larger framework of the Canadian immigration policies in which the representation and recognition of RSWDs, and the redistribution of resources are determined based on the ultimate goal of ‘contributing’ to the economic priorities of the province and country at large. Rather than accounting for and embracing learners’ intersectional experiences, K-12 educational policy discourses in British Columbia position RSWDs as “newcomers.” The “newcomer” label is used to distribute the English language training and/or special education programming to RSWDs. The educational policies prioritize mechanisms, resources, and services aimed to “adapt” RSWDs to the Canadian culture and classrooms. Such misrepresentation and misrecognition of RSWDs in the aim of so-called inclusion erase students’ intersectional experiences and perpetuates ableist, racialized schooling practices.

Significance
The study is significant on two levels. First, it exposes the invisibility of the intersectionality of refugee and disability experiences within the Canadian context. This is especially troubling considering the number of students with disabilities is expected to be higher among refugees than those who do not have the experience of forced displacement or of being a refugee (Migration Data Portal, 2022; UNHCR, n.d.). Second, the study starts the necessary conversation around the possible perpetuation of inequities through so-called inclusive educational policies.

Author

• Inna Stepaniuk, Simon Fraser University